ADAPTIVE INTERVALS IN NAVIGATING CONTENT AND/OR MEDIA

• US 20070198111A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sonic Solutions (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Lamkin, Allan, Oetzel, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42216 for quick navigation, e.g. through an EPG
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection

Abstract

The present embodiments provide methods and apparatuses for use in navigating through content. Some embodiments provide methods for use in navigating through content that receive an initial first directional control command, activate a seek mode upon receipt of the initial first directional control command comprising advancing over a first amount of content in a first direction from a first point in the content to a second point in the content, receive an initial second directional control command following the receipt of the initial first directional command, and activate a search mode upon receipt of the initial second directional control command, comprising advancing back over a second amount of the first amount of the content where the second amount is less than the first amount of the content.

Claims

1. A method for use in navigating through content, comprising:

receiving an initial first directional control command;

activating a seek mode upon receipt of the initial first directional control command, comprising advancing over a first amount of content in a first direction from a first point in the content to a second point in the content;

receiving an initial second directional control command following the receipt of the initial first directional command; and

activating a search mode upon receipt of the initial second directional control command, comprising advancing back over a second amount of the first amount of the content wherein the second amount is less than the first amount of the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating the search mode comprises advancing over a third amount of the first amount of content in response to receiving a subsequent directional command following the initial second directional command where the third amount of the first amount of content is less than the second amount of the first amount of content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the initial second directional command is received within a threshold time period of the receipt of the initial first directional command, wherein the activating the search mode comprising activating the search mode when the initial second direction command is received within the threshold time period of the receipt of the initial first directional command; and

re-activating the seek mode when it is determined that the initial second directional command is not received within the threshold time period of the receipt of the initial first directional command and advancing over a fourth amount of content in the direction.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating a micro-search mode and advancing through a first portion of the first amount of content.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the activating the micro-search mode comprises activating the micro-search mode upon receipt of a content mark command.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing a location within the content being accessed when the mark command is received.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

recording a mark for the content comprising recording a location within the content associated with a location in the content being accessed when the mark command is received;

receiving an additional navigation command while the micro-search mode is active;

redefining the mark in response to the additional navigation command while the micro-search mode is active.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an error condition in response to receipt of a third directional command after receiving the initial second directional command; and

determining a correction sequence based on a first plurality of received directional commands including the third directional command; and

implementing the correction sequence.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the detecting an error condition comprises detecting a pattern of commands including the third directional command and at least one directional command received prior to the third directional command.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an error condition;

identifying a plurality of received directional command following the detecting of the error condition;

generating a correction sequence for the identified plurality of commands; and

storing the generated correction sequence.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a timeline representative of at least a portion of the content where the timeline indicates a portion of the content evaluated and a portion of the content to be evaluated.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a zoomed-in timeline associated with a fraction of the at least the portion of the content represented in the time line where the zoomed-in timeline bounds a currently accessed position within the content.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the advancing back over the second amount of the first amount of content comprises advancing over the second amount of the first amount of content and an amount of content compensating for user reaction time.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of aggregate navigation intervals; and

the advancing over the first amount of content comprises identifying a first aggregate navigation interval such that the first amount of content comprises the first aggregate navigation interval.

15. A method for use in navigating through content, comprising:

receiving a first navigation command to advance through content in a first direction;

determining whether a seek mode is active;

identifying a previously received preceding navigation command to advance through the content in a second direction when the seek mode is active;

determining whether the first direction is different than the second direction when the seek mode is active;

advancing through a first interval of the content when the first direction is in the same direction as the second direction and the seek mode is active;

activating a search mode when the first direction is different than the second direction and advancing through a second interval of the content in the first direction where the second interval is less than the first interval; and

receiving a second navigation command and advancing through a third interval of the content when the search mode is still active where the third interval is less than the second interval.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of subsequent navigation commands following the third navigation command while the search mode is still active; and

advancing through a plurality of progressively reduced intervals of the content.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a third navigation command following the second navigation command while the search mode is still active;

determining a fourth interval of content to be advanced through in response to the third navigation command;

determining whether the fourth interval is less than a threshold interval; and

disabling the search mode when the fourth interval is less than the threshold interval.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

identifying a pattern of previously received commands including the third navigation command;

determining whether the pattern of previously received commands is recognized;

retrieving a correction sequence when the pattern of previously received commands is recognized; and

implementing the correction sequence when the pattern of previously received commands is recognized.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

identifying a pattern of previously received commands including the third navigation command;

determining whether the pattern of previously received commands is recognized;

monitoring a plurality of commands received immediately following the third navigation command when the fourth interval is less than the threshold interval; and

defining a first correction sequence where the first correction sequence comprises the plurality commands received immediately following the third navigation command.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the defining the first correction sequence comprises:

determining whether the plurality of commands were previously received a threshold number of times when previous determined intervals were less than the interval threshold; and

defining the first correction sequence when the plurality of commands were previously received the threshold number of times.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the advancing through the third interval of the content comprises:

determining whether the second navigation command is received within a threshold time period of the receipt of the first navigation command;

maintaining the search mode active when the second navigation command is received within the threshold time period of the receipt of the first navigation command and implementing the advancing through the third interval of the content; and

deactivating the search mode and activating the seek mode when the second navigation command is not received within the threshold time period and advancing through a fourth interval of the content.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining whether a micro-search mode is active;

advancing through a fourth interval of the content when the micro-search mode is active where the fourth interval is less than search intervals including the second interval.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the determining whether the micro-search mode is active comprises determining whether a currently accessed portion of the content is marked content and activating the micro-search mode upon receipt of the first command when the currently accessed portion of the content is marked content.

24. A method for use in providing navigation control through content, comprising:

receiving navigation commands from a plurality of sources;

identifying at least a subset of the navigation commands relating to a first portion of content;

generating an aggregate navigation command based on the subset of navigation commands; and

distributing the aggregate navigation command for use with the content.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the generating the aggregate navigation command comprises:

evaluating the subset of the navigation command;

determining an average navigation interval; and

defining the aggregate navigation command to include the average navigation interval.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the generating the aggregate navigation command comprises:

determining an average interval start point;

defining a window bounding the average interval start point;

the defining the aggregate navigation command to include the average navigation interval comprises defining the aggregate navigation command where the average navigation interval is relative to the window bounding the average interval start point.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

evaluating the subset of navigation command and determining an average navigation interval; and

eliminating a second portion of the content within the average navigation interval.

28. A method for use in providing navigation through content, comprising:

receiving a first navigation command to advance through content;

determining whether an error condition exists based on the first navigation command;

determining whether a first error correction sequence exists associated with the error condition;

implementing the first error correction sequence when the first error correction sequence associated with the error condition exits;

tracking a plurality of commands immediately following the first navigation command when the first error correction sequence does not exist;

defining a second error correction sequence comprising at least a command immediately following the first navigation command of the plurality of commands immediately following the first navigation command.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the defining the second error correction sequence comprises determining whether the error condition was previously detected an error count threshold number of times and implementing the defining the second error correction sequence when the error condition was previously detected the threshold number of times.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the defining the second error correction sequence comprises determining whether the command immediately following the first navigation command of the plurality of commands immediately following the first navigation command was previously detected a correction count threshold number of times following previous detections of the error conditions and implementing the defining the second error correction sequence when the command immediately following the first navigation command was previously detected the correction count threshold number of times.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the defining the second error correction sequence comprises determining whether a sequence of commands equal to the second error correction sequence were previously received a correction count threshold number of times following previous detections of the error conditions and implementing the defining the second error correction sequence when the sequence of commands equal to the second error correction sequence were previously received the correction count threshold number of times.

32. A system for use in navigating through content, the system comprising:

a content timeline representative of at least a first portion of content being accessed, the timeline comprising;

a first current location indicator indicating a currently accessed portion of the content;

first reviewed markings indicating one or more portions of the content reviewed that are within the first portion of the content; and

first advanced indicator indicating content advanced through that are within the first portion of the content; and

a zoomed-in timeline representative of at least a second portion of the first portion of content being accessed bounding the currently accessed portion of the content, the zoomed-in timeline comprising;

a second current location indicator.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the content timeline further comprises a marker indicator indicating content that has been marked.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the zoomed-in timeline further comprises second advanced indicator indicating the one or more portions of the content advanced through that are within the second portion of the content.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the zoomed-in timeline further comprises a subsequent navigation indicator identifying a location within the content to be advanced to upon receipt of a subsequent navigation command.

36. The system of claim 32, further comprising:

a display system that displays the content timeline and the zoomed-in timeline; and

a navigation system configured to implement navigation commands to advance through the content in accordance with received navigation commands.